


Awakened

by daisy_tyong (SammiCass)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alien Technology, Alien/Human Relationships, Aliens, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Blood, Cannibalism, Escape, Established Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Established Relationship, Flirting, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Kun has bioluminescence and gills, M/M, Memory Loss, Multi, Nausea, Nonbinary Character, Planet Destruction, Polyamory, Pre-Poly, Pre-Relationship, Referenced - Freeform, Shapeshifting, Trapped, Violence, Yangyang is a human, evil aliens, mentioned - Freeform, none of the characters are eaten, resistance fighters kunten, violence is referenced to
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28944564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SammiCass/pseuds/daisy_tyong
Summary: "It's probably a good thing you can't remember.""What makes you say that?'"Because," Kun whispers. "Nobody ever ends up on this ship willingly." A shaky breath passes their lips before continuing. "If you're on this ship, it means your planet's gone. Conquered.Destroyed... They only keep cattle on here."
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Liu Yang Yang, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Liu Yang Yang/Qian Kun, Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Liu Yang Yang/Qian Kun
Comments: 11
Kudos: 46
Collections: Challenge #4 — Awaken The World





	Awakened

**Author's Note:**

> hello! I made a playlist so feel free to check it out [here](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hMnJWrKPbaXP2gPwW6KMT?si=PuTl92i4RDGphXrjnxp_2Q)

_What’s a mob to a king?_

_What’s a king to a god?_

_What’s a god to a nonbeliever, who don’t believe in anything?_

_\- Jay-Z & Kanye West, “No Church in the Wild” _

  
  
  
  


The first thing Yangyang noticed was the smell.

Pungent—like milk that sat out for too long. Soured _. Rotten._ The scent so pervasive, so strong he could feel himself starting to gag. It reeked.

Blinking his eyes open, Yangyang surveyed the room, eyes scanning the darkened walls for some indication as to where he was. The room, only a tad bit larger than a closet, had no windows, no door. The only thing visible was a single source of light hanging from the ceiling. It flickered, casting the room in a violent shade of red. On and off. On and off.

_Where the fuck am I?_

_Last thing I remember was..._

Yangyang winces, the soft flickering of the lights suddenly too much. His head pounds as he tries to remember, the sharp pain settling right behind his eyes leaving him disoriented. Flashes of _something_ pass through his mind, going too fast for him to fully understand.

A siren.

Lights.

Running.

Someone— no _something_ else.

_Why can't I remember? Why can't I remember? Why can't I—_

The sound of footsteps startle him from his panic. It echoes, each measured step matching the frantic beating of Yangyang's heart. He slowly pushes himself up from the damp floor, using all his energy to do so.

He waits.

It's quiet.

So he waits—pushing past the incessant ringing in his ears, straining to hear whatever was out there.

Maybe whatever was out there was waiting too. Holding its breath in the same way he was, listening to the pounding of his heart. Maybe its heart was pounding too. Maybe it was afraid. Maybe—

Maybe it just liked to play with its food.

Before Yangyang even has time to process the implications of his thoughts, a low moaning fills the room. Around him the walls push and pull against each other, the solid foundations giving into its weight. It bubbles, like a pot just starting to boil. He watches as the walls seemingly melt into the floor, leaving no trace of what was once there prior.

With it came light.

Blinding light, devoid of any color like those you'd find at a hospital. Clinical. Removed. Surrounded on all sides, it was like Yangyang was on display. Like he was an animal at the zoo. His eyes burn at the exposure, the sudden assault leaving him breathless. Blinking away tears, his eyes begin to adjust to its new environment, seeking out the only constant in this room and immediately understanding.

Yangyang's heart drops, eyes widening at the mess before him. He isn't sure whether he should laugh or cry. All he really wants to do is vomit.

There was _blood_.

So much fucking blood.

Stain upon stain upon stain, overlapping each other and blackening the ground with each coat. He isn't sure where the blood stops and the floor actually begins. It seeps into his clothes, painting his skin with shades of red. Each mark blooming a new flower of fear within his stomach. Maybe it was his own blood.

Probably not.

Amidst this horrific revelation, Yangyang realizes something.

_I know what the scent is._

As the sound of even steps start back up again, Yangyang can feel himself slowly slipping away. And before he can even catch a glance, only a faint outline of _something_ enters his peripheral before everything goes black.

_It's death._

-

"Get up. Hey kid, I said _get up."_

A warm voice says, each syllable flowing out like a steady stream. If it weren't for the sense of urgency within it, Yangyang is positive he would have been lulled back to sleep. Shaking himself awake, he notices two things.

  1. He's in another room this time.



There aren't any blood stains on the floor (which is nice) but this one is just as claustrophobic.

  1. There's somebody here with him.



The stranger, standing opposite of him, is dressed in a black skin tight bodysuit leaving only their arms, neck and face visible. Rows of blue dots line their arms, pulsating brightly every few seconds or so. Yangyang tears his gaze away from the hypnotic lights, scanning up the rest of their arm before landing on their neck. Deep scars line the sides of their throat, right below their jaw. _Must've been painful._ Moving past, he quickly looks up, instantly locking gazes with the stranger. Eyes as fluorescent as the dots on their arms pierce back into his, unblinking.

"Did you not hear me?" The stranger huffs, frustration lacing their voice. "Is the ITC not turned on? Should've been..." They trail off. Brows furrowing, they wait a moment before a look of finality crosses their features.

Yangyang can only watch as they make their way to him, body frozen in place. Crouching down, they reach a hand out, cupping his cheek before he can move away. Shivers rake his body, the chill of their fingers leaving goosebumps in its path.

"What're y—“

Ignoring him, the stranger gently turns his head to the side. "Nope, it's on."

Reaching his hand up, Yangyang drags his fingers along the length of his neck, coming into contact with a round piece of _something_ behind his ear. Pressing down on it, a small hiss escapes his lips. There was something in his skin and it _fucking hurt._

"It's an ITC chip." The stranger states. They notice the lack of recognition on his face before continuing, "Intergalactic Translating Communication. ITC, transcomm, whatever. They implant it in your cochlear and then boom—unlimited access to every language throughout the universe at the press of a button." They say sarcastically, lips quirking for a moment before dropping. "Hurts like a bitch though."

"You're telling me," Yangyang mumbles under his breath.

"Where you from kid?"

"My name isn't kid, it’s Yangyang." he replies. "I'm from Earth."

A low whistle resonates throughout the room. "The _Milky Way?"_ They exclaim, eyes widening in shock. "Hate to break it to ya kid but, you're a long way from home."

" _Yangyang,"_ he corrects. "And no _shit._ Where the hell are we? Matter of fact, who the fuck are you?"

A moment passes. Whatever playfulness the two had is gone. They watch him for a bit, eyes scanning his face and lingering a second too long on his lips. _Probably a trick of the lights._

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"What?"

"Before waking up, what's the last thing you can remember?"

"I..."

A sharp pain bursts throughout his skull, the intensity of it leaving Yangyang breathless. He tries to remember. Tries to remember something other than his name. Tries to remember something other than his birthday, than his favorite color, than his favorite food than his—

But nothing comes up.

"I-I... I can't remember." He confesses quietly. Wasting no time at all, Kun moves to sit down next to Yangyang. The weight of their body pressing into his side is a comforting touch, one that grounds him. They sit there, an unspoken exchange happening between the two.

And the look on Kun's face tells him everything he needs to know.

"It's probably a good thing you can't remember."

"What makes you say that?'

"Because," Kun whispers. "Nobody ever ends up on this ship willingly." A shaky breath passes their lips before continuing. "If you're on this ship, it means your planet's gone. Conquered. _Destroyed..._ They only keep cattle on here."

Yangyang's heart jumps into overdrive, picking up in speed as his mind goes back to that room. And its red light. And its smell. And the bl—

"I-I don't understand."

A weak smile crosses Kun's face. They focus their attention to the various patches of dried blood on his clothes, as well as the bits stuck underneath his nails. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

_It’s not fair._

“So that’s it? My planet’s gone and I’m stuck sitting here like some _fucking cow_ , waiting for some _thing_ to eventually eat me! It’s not fair! _It’s not fucking fair._ ” Yangyang cries, digging his head into Kun’s shoulder while his arms clutch at their waist, clinging on for dear life.

They hold onto Yangyang just as tight, letting him cry until the sounds eventually dwindle down into light hiccups. A hand finds its way into his hair, running through the brown locks and soothing him.

“I won’t let that happen,” Kun promises. “We’re gonna get out of here.”

“How? I don’t know if you’ve noticed but _both_ of us are stuck here. Unless you somehow know how to break out a room with no exit, then by all means go ahead!”

“When they come back, I want you to run ok? I’ll distract them.” 

“What? No—“

“ _Yes.”_ Kun interrupts. They turn to Yangyang, gripping his shoulders tightly before speaking, “It’ll be okay. I’ve trained for this alright? Promise me.”

“W-what?” He stutters. Their nails dig further into Yangyang’s shoulder drawing a wince from his lips. “ _Promise me.”_

 _“_ Ok, ok! I promise.” 

“Good.” They lightly rub their thumbs across his shoulders, kneading an apology into his skin before letting go. Silence overtakes the room once more. It's heavy, but what can you expect? There's so many things wrong here. There's so many things that can go wrong. There's so many things that _will_ go wrong—

"What exactly did you mean?"

"Hm?"

"You said 'I've trained for this'. What does that mean?" Yangyang asks, curiosity lacing his voice. He watches how the question lands on their ears; Notes the way they choose to ignore it; They fidget with their hands, following the swirling patterns and lines etched within the skin. It's easier this way.

(It's never easy.)

"Do you have oceans on Earth?" Kun finally asks, eyes still tracing the grooves on their palms.

"Well... yeah." He offers, not entirely sure where the conversation is headed. A wistful smile finds its way onto Kun's face, their dimples flashing for a moment before disappearing back into their cheeks. "My planet was nothing but oceans, save for one small continent. _Introution_. Mainly served as a docking port for merchants or the spare traveler we got every now and then. It was nice. It was peaceful."

Yangyang waits patiently for Kun to find the words to finish, knowing all too well how hard it must be. He holds out his hand, an offering—a lifeline. This time around Yangyang can feel the callouses on Kun's hand, aware of the curves on their palm. How they dip. How they peak. 

"I wasn't there when it happened." They whisper, eyes refusing to meet his own. "I can't even tell you why I wasn't there— I can't remember. But I was just off the Zxenaur galaxy, Ranthan I think..." Kun's hand tightens around his before continuing. "They were broadcasting it. Not just like someone warning— _no."_ They stiffen, tightening their grip on his palm. 

"I saw all of it." Kun whimpers, eyes glossing over with every word. "Do you know how it feels watching all your friends, all your _people_ get murdered while you sit in some _fucking diner,_ eating some _fucking food_ that you can't even remember!"

"Kun..."

A sharp laugh bursts from behind Kun's lips, sounding all too hollow. All too hurt. "Don't remember much from that day besides that. Or the months that followed to be honest. I didn’t want to think about it. _Couldn’t_ think about it. Then one day, I guess I just got tired of trying to run away. I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to stopping them. Turns out other people wanted that too."

"So... you're like a resistance fighter? Is that it?"

Another laugh, a real one this time. "I guess you could call it that. I'm the leader of a subunit for a much larger organization."

"Tell me about them," Yangyang asks. "Your unit. What are they like?"

"Absolutely insane."

Yangyang can't help the snort that explodes out of his mouth, trying hopelessly to muffle the sound with the back of his hand. "They can't be that bad."

"Oh no. They're _worse._ But... I wouldn't trade them for the world." They say softly, reaching their hand into a small pocket in their suit and pulling out a small photo. (How a pocket managed to fit he’ll never know).

It was an old one, yellowed slightly from age with the edges all worn out. Deep creases lined the photo, evidence of how treasured it was. Yangyang scans the photo, taking his time to examine each face. Some of them had thin, branch-like antlers protruding from their heads. Another had purple skin. A different one had a set of feathered wings much larger than themself. And Kun looked—

"You had blue hair?"

"Did you think black was my natural hair color?"

"Well.... kinda?" Yangyang says, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment.

"Cute." They say. "Ten's actually the one who suggested I should dye it."

Yangyang's eyebrows furrow at the name, "Which one are they?"

Kun points to the person next to him. They're laughing in the photo, head thrown back with their mouth wide open, exposing the whites of their teeth. Hair as dark as night cascades down their head, hanging just below their jaw. _They're beautiful_.

" _Oh."_

Laughing, they reach out and ruffle Yangyang's hair before dropping their arm around his shoulders. "Oh Yangyang... Ten would just eat you up."

"What makes you say that?"

"He’s a sucker for a pretty face. Even more so if they think he’s cute too.” They say, glancing at him from the corner of their eye.

"Are you two..." He trails off. "Like, a thing?"

Kun slowly turns to face Yangyang, raising an eyebrow at the comment. "A thing?"

"Yeah y'know... Are you two dating?" He mumbles, choosing to stare at the ground rather than having to meet their eyes.

"He's my _Xayioz."_ Kun utters softly, eyes seeking out Ten in the photo once more. Leaning into their side, Yangyang rests his head onto their shoulder, nuzzling into the skin there. "He’s like the sun—intense, blinding. And yet, I can’t help but be pulled by his gravity. He is as much a part of me, as I am him. I’d know him in death and any other life.”

"You must really care a lot about him."

"I do."

"Then we'll get you back to him," he says. "I promise."

-

"Get up! _GET UP!"_ A voice shouts over the blaring alarms going off in the background. _Kun._ Jerking himself away, Yangyang forces himself to stand up. He can feel the dizziness starting to set it, urging him to just let go, to give in. Instead he grabs onto Kun's bicep to stabilize himself, only slightly indulging himself with the touch.

"What's going on?" Yangyang yells.

"I don't know. But something's coming."

And sure enough, something did come.

The two watch as a section of the room begins to shift. Globs of foundation drip from the wall and disappear within the ground, creating a doorway. An escape.

"Remember what I told you," Kun whispers, pushing Yangyang behind them.

The wailing of the alarms fade to the background as his heart rate picks up. _Thump. Thump._ Someone's here. _Thump. Thump._

He watches as the creature enters the room, its skin so pale it could be translucent. A thin, willowy frame stands about seven feet tall. It was huge. And _holy fuck_ was it scary. Despite having no eyes, it seemed to know exactly where they were standing. Yangyang could only stare at it, frozen in place from fear.

_So this is it huh?_

Everything that happened next seemed to move in slow motion.

Kun running.

The creature changes. Shifts.

Ten.

_Ten?_

"What are you doing here?" Kun says, throwing their arms around Ten and pulling him in tight. "I gave direct orders _not_ to come if I got captured."

"When have I ever listened to you?" He scoffs. "Besides... you know I couldn't just leave you."

"I know. Thanks for not leaving us behind."

_That's my cue._

As Yangyang quickly crosses to them, he can feel the heat of Ten's gaze on him, eyes raking up and down the lengths of his body. "So..." He says, shooting a smile. "Can we _please_ get the fuck out of here now?"

Ten's lips curl into a smirk. "Cute." He holds out a hand to Yangyang, waiting until he finally grabs on. "Hold on tight," Ten whispers, giving his palm a light squeeze.

"And babe?"

"Yeah?" Kun replies.

"Do try and keep up."

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!! i had so much fun writing this (sci-fi just has sooo many things you can do with it!!). I'm really proud of how it turned out <3 i was writing down to the last possible minute too...


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